Plaster-board-joint reenforcement



ec. 24, 1929. c, R. BMRDSEY r-:T AL 11,740,493

PLASTER BOARD JOINT REENFORCEMENT Filed Aug. 2, 1928 18 .fx/@5 I, Y@

FIP-Z Patented Dea` a4, 1929 1,740,493

UNITED STATES rATnnT OFFICE N CHARLES B. BRDSEY, F HINSDALE, .AND FBEDERECK A. MANSKE, OF CHICAGO, IULLDS PLASTIEK-BOBD-JHTT REENFORCEMENT Application led August 2, 1923. Serial No. 96,923.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary View of another rllhis invention relates to reenforcing modified form of Wire reenforcement.

means, for the joints of abutting plaster boards and Wallboards when applied to the Walls of a building.

An object of this invention is to provide a Wire reenforcement for the joints of plaster boards which will be simple and easy to construct and which may be manufactured at a low cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a Wire reenforcement of the class described Which 'will not cause injury to the hands of Workmen who apply same to the Walls of'buildings. l

A further object of the invention is to provide a Wire reenforcementwhich may be shipped as pieces or lengths in bundles or crates, the reenforcement being of such nature that the pieces may be easily separated one from the other when the crate or bundle is opened by a Workman on a job.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a Wire reenforcement which may be formed of electric-Welded vrire fabric which is a standard article of manufacture and is easily obtained; also to improve plasterboard joint reenforcementin other respects hereinafter specified and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specication in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a Wall composed of plasterboard with our improved joint reenforcement,

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View through the structure shown in Figure l,

Figure 3 is an elevation of our improved joint lacing or Wire reenforcement for plasterboard,

Figure a is an elevation of a modified form of our improved reenforcement adapted to be applied in corners of rooms,

lFigure 5 is a horizontal sectional view of a corner of a room with the joint reenforcement shown in Figure l applied to same,

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a portion of the wire reenforcernent shown in Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of a portion of a modified form of Wire reenforcenient,

5@ and Referring to the drawing my numerals, 10 indicates a plasterboard which is ordinarily constructed of a cementitious core faced on both sides with paper. These plaster boards are generally nailed or otherwise secured to wood studs 1l or other Wall supporting means, With the edges l2 of adjoining plasterboards in abutting position. @ver the plasterboards is then applied a coating of plaster 14 which covers the plasterboard edges 12 and nails 13.

With joints of this nature, when no joint reenforcement embedded in the plaster is used, it is common occurrence for cracks to form along the vertical joints of the plasterboard but especially along horizontal joint 14 of the plasterboard Where the joint is notsupported by a stud. For this reason, it has been customary to apply joint reenforceinents of various lrinds to the plasterboard joints for the purpose of preventing the formation of cracks due to expansion and contraction from seasonal changes. Some of these joint reenforcements have sharp edges which are apt to injure the hands of the Workman who is applying the reenforcement. Some types vof joint reenforcement are shipped in bundles and have ranedges which so intermesh when in the bundles that a Workman has dif- ;dculty in separating one piece from the other `when a bundle or crate is opened. Certain types of reenforcement have comparatively straight longitudinal edges so that hair-line cracks Will form in the plaster just beyond the joint reenforcement due to the straight character of the edge of the reenforcement.

@ur improved joint reenforcexnent is preferably constructed of standard electric-Welded Wire mesh which has been cut into' strips by a method shown in co-pending application to llianslre and McNeil, Serial No. 306.582, tiled September 17, 1928. These strips of wire reenforcement are preferably composed of two longitudinal Wires which are held together by cross Wires lo Welded to the longitudinal vWires. When the cross Wires are cut in the middle of the space between two longitudinal Wires, an oyerhanging or lll@ outstanding Wire 17 is formed which extends beyond each of the longitudinal wires 15.

ll/Vith our iin roved wire reenforcement we preferably bend these outwardly extending wires 17 to form a loop 18 which serves several important functions. In the first place, this loop is later embedded in the plaster and greatly increases the bond and anchorage between the plaster and the wire reenforcement and laces the abutting wallboards together. This loop also forms a comparatively smooth edge with the sharp end of the Wire turned inwardly so that the hands of a Workman are not injured by the sharp edges of the wire'. Another important function of the wire loop 18 is to form an irregular or jagged edge for the wire reenforcement so that hairline cracks will not form in the plaster along the edge of the reenforcement, due to said irregular nature of the edge. Also owing to the fact that the wire ends 18 are turned inwardly, the strips of wire reenforcement may be bundled or crated and Whenthese crates or bundles are opened by a workman, the strips of reenforcement will not cling together but such strips may be easily separated one from another.

The longitudinal wires 15 are preferably but not necessarily provided with crimps 19 at intervals which serve to engage with the surface of the plasterboard and space said longitudinal Wires 15 apart therefrom so that I the plaster later applied works in back of the longitudinal wires 15 and said wires are thus actually enclosed in the plaster. In applying the wire reenforcement to the plasterboard joints, a staple 20 is preferably driven into the studding adjacent the wallboard edge 12, said staple enclosing the cross wires 16 at substantially their center. For corner reenforcement, we preferably employ three longitudinal wires by interposing a central Wire 21 between the two other longitudinal Wires 15. The wires 16 are then bent at a right angle so that the reenforcement lies along the inside or outside corner of a room as shown in Figure 5. In this case, the reenforcement is attached to the plasterboard by staples 22 in any desired manner.

lVhile the Wires 18 may be bent inwardly toward the longitudinal wires 15 to for'm a loop, a somewhat simpler construction, from a manufacturing standpoint, is shown in Figure 7 in which the wire ends 17. are only bent at right angles so as to lie parallel to the longitudinal Wires 15 to form wire ends 23. In the modified form of reenforcement shown in Figure 8, the cross wires 24 are in a continuous length and are arranged at an Aangle to the longitudinal wires 25, said cross wires being electric-welded, as at 26, at intervals to the longitudinal wires 25. These cross Wires i 24 extend beyond the longitudinal wire 25, to -form loops 27 which have a function simn llar to the loops 18 in increasing the bond between the wire reenforcement and the plaster. Y

We would state in conclusion that while the forms of the invention illustrated and described constitute practical embodiments of our invention, we do not limit ourselves precisely to these forms since manifestly same can be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a joint reenforcement for plasterboard, a plurality of longitudinal wires in parallel relation, and a plurality of cross wires electric-Welded to said longitudinal Wires, the ends of said cross wires extending beyond said longitudinal Wires to form an irregular edge for said joint reenforcement.

2. In a joint reenforcement for plasterboard, a plurality of parallel longitudinal wires, a plurality of cross Wires secured to said longitudinal wires, said cross wires extending beyond said longitudinal Wires, and loops formed on the ends of said cross wires.

3. In a joint reenforcement for plaster-l board, a plurality of parallel longitudinal wires, and a plurality of parallel cross wires, said cross wires being attachedto said longitudinal Wires and having their ends extending beyond said longitudinal wires, the ends of said wires being bent at an angle tothe cross wire and being adapted to be embedded in plaster for increasing the bond between the plaster and the wire reenforcement.

CHARLES R. BIRDSEY. FREDERICK A. MANSKE. 

